091516 - Betrothed
LL: Duck, you hear a quiet knock at your bedroom door. AC: Sitting on the bed she looks up with a frown, having thrown her earlier sweatshirt back on over her dinner wear. That wasn't Mute was it? "U-um, who is it?" LL: "It's the Regent, Nyarla Aesona." His voice is stiff and formal. AC: A tiny squeak of surprise leaves her throat, she thought she'd only see him next morning. W-well. "Y-you, ah, can come in." ...She guesses? LL: The door opens gently, and Nyarla comes in, pushing it shut behind him. He bows. "I believe we have a few things to discuss, Princess." You notice he has a small binder under one arm. AC: Duck nods slowly, picking at her sweatshirt pocket nervously as she eyes the binder. "Um, wh-what would those be?" LL: "Oh, this has some files I'd like to discuss with you. Doctors, and potential suitors, since young Mr. Carter seems to prefer the company of terrorists." AC: "We were never really... taught any different," the words sound hollow in her own ears even as she frowns. "Okay uh, so Drew, told you?" LL: "Drew told me many things. My other spies told me other things. What, specifically, are you referring to?" He takes off his jacket and hangs it on the door knob, then takes a chair and sits, still by the door, in an effort to avoid intruding on your personal space. AC: She shifts on the bed, keeping her legs deftly tucked underneath her still picking nervously at her sweater. "That er, I'm.. I'm not biologically, um, female?" Her voice cracks a little, and she shrugs a shoulder looking away. LL: "Yes, I'm aware. What does that have to do with anything?" AC: She shrugs again, mumbling, "You mentioned marriage, and heirs.. earlier. I can't.." LL: "You can't at this present time, no, but we have access to cutting edge gene therapy, and our scientists assure me that those changes can be made." AC: Her gaze is back on him and her frown deepens. "That can still be done, I-I mean da-Kyle, I ah assumed.. with low resources.." She takes a deep breath. "Gene therapy?" LL: "Yes. It has a much shorter time than the hormones Carter was pumping you with, probably because the hormones promote dependency whereas gene therapy is a one and done kind of thing, though it does have some nasty side effects for the first few weeks. LL: " AC: Duck searches his face, her shoulders still tense and quietly wary. "That, um. What kind of side effects?" LL: "I'm told the therapy mimics a virus, so you basically have a very bad flu for a month or so." He opens the binder, and fishes around in it for a moment. "Here, a brochure. This is from one of the clinics for it on Earth. If you would like to pursue this, those facilities can be brought here." AC: After a moment Duck slips off the bed, coming close enough to grab the brouchure before she's stepping back a few paces again. She looks it over, had she heard about this before? In the Compound? LL: You've never heard of this place, but it looks legit. AC: "So they just... change the genes?" she's still frowning and starting to look very confused. "Surgery would still have to happen wouldn't it I mean er,," she starts mumbling, "The physical stuff won't just magically.. reverse.." LL: "You would still require surgery, yes, but it's a relatively painless procedure, and uterine transplants aren't that complicated." AC: Duck looks up from the brochure at him. "And, you're offering... why?" LL: "We want you to be comfortable. Gender isn't really a thing for trolls in that way. And if you should go back to Earth, it is something Carter can't hold over your head. Not like hormones." AC: Well, she can't argue with that. Not really. There's no reason to refuse, unless she just wants to make things difficult. The brochure wrinkles just slightly in her hands. "Am I pawn?" LL: "What do you mean?" He raises his eyebrow. AC: Both her shoulders shrug this time, and the brochure twists a little more. "Kyle used me in his video, gave me title and then made me k-kill a beaten troll. I. I was just slapped with a crown, and it feels like a huge farce." AC: She sniffs. "And now there's talk of heirs, for I'm assuming a legitimate claim on Earth's throne by your people." AC: Duck turns and walks back to the bed, brows drawn. LL: Nyarla watches closely. "What do you want, Princess?" AC: "I d-don't want to be used, and I don't.. want to force Mute along with this.." she flops onto the bed. "He's been forced for two years. Fo-for something that's probably.. a lie." LL: "I understand what you don't want. What -do- you want? As a Princess, you do not have the luxury of nothing. You must either do what you want, or have what others want done to you." AC: "I want this STUPID war to stop so people who did nothing wrong stop getting HURT." LL: "Then end the war. Marry a troll, and declare you do not support Kyle Carter's movement." AC: She looks at him, sniffing and rubs at her eyes. Her voice is small, "Do I have to?" LL: "No, you have two other options: Marry Mute, and stay here until the troll armies crush Carter's rebellion, or stay here, unmarried, and have the Empress mind control you into being little more than a sex toy for her twisted pasttimes." AC: Duck flinches, and then she's looking at the fabric on the bed. After a moment of silence she speaks up. "... I can pick my suitor?" LL: "Yes, you may." He sets down the binder. AC: A small sigh escapes her, and she gets up again to retrieve the binder, this time settling on the floor only a few paces away from the Regent. AC: She opens it. LL: Each page details a troll noble of some type. Most of them are dozens of sweeps old. AC: Duck wrinkles her nose. "..I forgot troll nobles lived so long.. Are they all so old?" LL: Among the pages you find a profile for Neizan Dysthe, the Governor of Earth, The Carnifex, and a profile for the Regent. AC: She briefly pauses on the Regent's profile, before looking at the other two. She could go home with the Governor.. but she's read the fairytails. The Regent was the better choice if she wanted peace um.. oh goodness who's the Carnifex? She looks that profile over. LL: The Carnifex was Lorcan Miviwa, the Regent's right hand, and a well known assassin. AC: Duck shivers. That sounds. Unsettling. Um. "Could I, meet any of the suitors? Before deciding?" LL: "I suppose if you'd like to. Some of them are quite busy. The Carnifex is currently dealing with another bombing by Human Freedom, and the Stowaway is currently on assignment in an undisclosed location. A few of the others are at court now, if you'd like, however." AC: "O-oh," she hadn't even thought about the others. The Carnifex sounded terriying but, she wasn't. Real thrilled with the prospect of the Regent. He's nice but.. Um. Right-hand would be good too right? "I was, sorta hoping to meet the Carnifex but.. if you think she's nice I guess.." LL: "Of course, I will inform Lorcan that you would like to meet her. If you'll note in her file, it does say that she has no intention of consummating the relationship with you. She intends to use Earth as a military camp for training soldiers, so you'd need to organize moving the humans to one of the moons. You would be granted an allowance for that." AC: Duck frowns a little. "I don't think you can fit everyone on a moon... Does she need the WHOLE earth for a military camp..? This is supposed to end war not.." She tugs at her sleeves. LL: He nods. "You choosing to marry the Carnifex would involve you ceding your crown to her." AC: She shakes her head slowly and looks up at the Regent tearfully. "...Then who will end the war?" LL: He shrugs. "I'm doing my best. I lack the authority to do so without the Empress's consent. If I married you, I wouldn't require it. However, I do not wish to do that if you would be unhappy." AC: Staring at him, she grips the binder tightly before quietly asking, "May I still talk it over with Mute?" AC: She's briefly wracking her brains trying to remember what she's been told about the Empress and the Regent. LL: "Of course. I can give you until lunch tomorrow to speak to him. I don't know when the Empress will return exactly, she's a bit capricious, and when she does she has already said she intends to, and I quote, 'break you in'." He shudders. "I'd like to have you safe before then." AC: "Okay, um, okay. I'll let you know.. tomorrow then," Duck nods, looking down. LL: He nods. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Princess?" Nyarla bites his lower lip, and his gaze drops to the floor. AC: "I, um," she glances back up at him as she closes the binder, holding holding it out to him in case he wanted it back, "Um no I. Think I'm okay uh, was uh, was there something.. you wanted?" Her voice is quietly curious. LL: "I..." He sighs. "I wanted to return something to you. It was your Mother's. Looters took it when Cenero Castle fell. It's not much, but I hoped it might show you you have a friend in the palace. Even if my hands are tied most of the time." He reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a long, thin, black jewelry box. AC: She's still not sure about this whole, daughter of Queen Lila but.. she sets the binder aside and takes the box. Glancing between the Regent and the box, she opens it. LL: Inside is a gold hairpin, with peach colored pearls and a few finely cut cerulean sapphires, clustered together to look like a butterfly. AC: Her fingers gently touch it, she looks to be in awe of the hairpin. "It's... beautiful. This was my mother's?" LL: He nods. "I remember her wearing it during the peace talks with Aaisha." He smiles fondly at the memory. "You are very much your mother's child." AC: Duck clutches at the box, looking back at the Regent shyly. "Really..? Dad-Kyle.. wasn't lying?" LL: "Would you like to see the photos?" He laughs, an unguarded, friendly laugh. "I think we have a few of you as an infant as well." AC: Her shoulder relax and she perks up, eyes widening. "Do, um, is that okay?" LL: He nods. "Come with me." He stands up, and takes his jacket off the door knob, then offer's his hand. AC: She hesitates only a moment before she's rising gracefully to her feet, clutching the hairpin to her chest and taking Nyarla's hand with the other. LL: He smiles, and tugs her out the door. "Would you like to wear the hairpin? I don't want you to have to carry it everywhere." AC: Slowly she shakes her head, following him out the door. "Um, later? Maybe.. I like holding it." LL: He nods. "Of course. This way." He leads her through the palace, to a different wing. There's a pair of double doors that creak when he opens them. "This wing is rarely used, Princess, so forgive that it's not in a state of perfect readiness." He motions through the door. "After you." AC: "I've been in a van.. for six months. I don't think I'd um, mind," she teases lightly, heading throw the door glancing over her shoulder briefly. LL: He follows her inside, then wanders down the hallway. On the walls, you see very fine paintings, and portraits. He stops before one, that depicts Queen Lila, heavily pregnant, holding hands with the Late Empress. They're both sitting on a couch, smiling at the viewer. Queen Lila is wearing the hairpin that Duck is holding, along with a necklace that is a chain of peach pearls with a large cerulean LL: pendant. AC: Duck stops beside him, gazing up at the painting with wide eyes, she'd seen potraits before in Kyle's office but this.. Somehow this was more real. Briefly she focuses on the Late Empress before looking at Nyarla, "Why did the peace talks fall through..? AC: " LL: "The current Empress murdered her mother." His face is dark, and cloudy. "She has very strong mental control powers, Princess. We can only do so much to fight her. It was all we could do to get Lila back to Earth. We didn't forsee the Empress ordering us to bond the Trees." He swallows, hard, and shivers. "It was a terrible time." AC: Her gaze returns to the painting and she frowns again. "Kyle said my mother was killed by trolls... Did the Empress order that too?" LL: "Yes. Daiyne's mother was a good person, generally. But she had a temper. The Empress used her powers to convince the Predator that Lila had murdered her children." AC: She looks down, "Oh." LL: "Come, I have other pictures to show you." He heads further down the hall. AC: After a moment she follows behind him glancing at the picture behind her one last time. "..Did she like cerulean?" LL: "Yes. Your mother loved the color. She used to tease me about stealing my clothing to decorate her palace." He laughs. AC: "...It's a very nice color," she comments quietly. LL: He blushes. "I'm glad you like it." LL: Further down, he opens another door. The furniture in here is all covered in sheets. "This is where your mother stayed, when she was with us." AC: Duck blinks at him briefly confused, before her attention is caught by the room. "Oh. Have.. have you kept it like this the entire time?" LL: "I didn't want to go through her things. I thought it best to save it in case you ever got the chance to see it. I know your mother kept a lot of photos in her desk. I haven't gone through it yet, but there should be some in there." He opens the doors out onto the balcony. "I'll give you a bit of time alone. I'll be right outside." AC: "Thank you," she calls after him, looking around the room before storing the hairpin gently in her sweatshirt pocket. She heads over to the desk, taking in the room as she goes. LL: The room seems quiet, almost too still. A thin sheet covers the desk. AC: She shivers lightly, before carefully pulling back the sheet on the desk. LL: It's an exquisite mahogany desk, with a script L painted onto the work surface, topped with a gilt crown. It has many drawers and cubby holes. A single fat folder is tucked into one of the cubbies on top of the desk. Who knows what's in the drawers. AC: Duck lets her fingers linger over the script L, before she's letting her curiosity take over. Duck starts quietly checking the draws before she reaches for the folder. LL: most of the drawers have stuff in them. Envelopes, folders with papers, a dried out ink well. Which folder does she take first? AC: She takes one of the folders in the drawers, pulling and envelope out along with it to see if she can see a name or anything on it. LL: The folder says "Betrothal Plans". The envelope is labelled "Prince Tutu" AC: Duck wrinkles her nose a bit when she reads prince but, well. There's no helping that honestly, she was just a baby back then. Duck opens up the folder, setting down the envelope on the desk. LL: Inside the folder are a number of documents, showing your mother was organizing your betrothal to Nyarla Aesona. AC: Oh, well that's. Um. Even though she was a prince back then that's... a little odd? Frowning to herself, she looks over the documents more carefully. Royals wanted heirs right? She would've been betrothed to a girl back then..? Duck's looking for any official date or signature, maybe the script L found on the desk. LL: It mentions more information, like relying on the troll breeding method of buckets and grub to get heirs from the union, and it has been signed by both Aaisha and Lila. LL: There's a small note in there from Aaisha to Lila. "I know he's my matesprit, but he's the only really good person I know." AC: Oh. Okay that makes sense. Duck blinks briefly, setting the folder down she picks up the envelope, opening it it. Trolls were... odd. In her mind. LL: in the envelope are a bunch of polaroid photographs. The first shows Aaisha, Lila, Nyarla, and Arty sitting on a beach at sunset. The next shows Lila cuddling a baby Tutu, giving them a bottle. Another shows Aaisha changing a baby Tutu's daiper, looking quite confused. The one right after shows Nyarla, passed out in a rocking chair, with Aaisha curled up on his lap. LL: There's lots of little moments, with the five of them, in any number of odd combinations. AC: Duck wipes at her eyes, trying to scrub back the tears as she looks at the pictures. Everything was so happy, why. Why did it have to change.. and with one death.. She grimaces looking at Aaisha, before the envelope and its contents dissappear into her sylladex. The folder,.. well this was all techinically hers wasn't it? That dissappears into her sylladex too anoter brief glance at Aaisha's note. AC: Did the late Empress only have one quadrant? How much had Kyle let her know about the trolls anyway? LL: Kyle only ever talked about how trolls were the worst, trolls deserved to die, trolls were a plague on mankind. LL: You see a scrap of paper, hidden in the bottom of a drawer. AC: Ah well. Shaking her head to get that rant out of her head, Duck blinks bending over to retrieve the paper. LL: It looks to be the rough draft of a note from Lila to... you. AC: Oh. Oh, um. Fingers briefly trembling, Duck quickly looks it over before she's pausing and going back over it a second time, slower. LL: "Dearest Tutu, I know this must be a confusing time for you, learning bout your betrothal to a troll, and wondering what you should do. So I have chosen to write this letter now, the day I have made this decision, rather than many years hence, so that my thoughts, and my convictions, are clear. Our people stand on the precipice of a great destruction, my little duck, and only through peace and mut LL: ual understanding can we hope to survive it. The doctors tell me that I have a cancer that will not let me live to see you reach adulthood. So if this letter finds you after my death, I hope you understand why I chose Nyarla. He is a good troll, or at least, tries to be. His experience at statecraft and the respect he receives in the troll court will be an invaluable tool as you try to navigate th LL: ese dark waters. Empress Aaisha should still be alive, and know that you will have a staunch ally in her, and a guiding hand. My good friend, Lucy, will also be there to advise you, as will, God willing, your father, Arty Batson." A few lines discussing how troll reproduction works have been written, then crossed out, with a note saying "i'm sure Nyarla will explain this". Then it continues: "You LL: will take the crown in our people's darkest hour, my dear, but do not be afraid. You are my son, my only child, and in you, and this betrothal, I set all my hopes and dreams for the future." AC: She leans on the desk, heavily, staring at the letter. The tears are coming freer now and she's trembling as she places the letter in the sweatshirt's pocket along with the hairpin. Where.. where had everything gone wrong? There was only Nyarla left.. the new Empress... Taking a moment to compose herself, Duck shut the drawers and finally reaches for the fat folder she laid eyes on only a few moments before. LL: Inside the folder are a number of official looking human documents, including a press release from an organization called "Humans First" led by Kyle Carter, that threatened to kill Prince Tutu if the Queen did not stop peace talks with those "bug freaks", and a letter ordering Kyle Carter's arrest for the murder of Nyarla's mother. AC: Duck sways on her feet briefly, the folder falling from her hands to the desk and she barely catches herself against the desk as her knees buckle. That can't be true that, he lied to her, her lied to her and he RAISED her. AC: "God," her voice cracks. Does Mute.. did he want to know? AC: She lets herself fall to her knees, resting her forehead against the wood. She may not be moving for a while, at least a few minutes. LL: You hear a noise from the balcony. "Princess, are you all right?" AC: Duck jumps slightly, she'd forgotten he was even out there. The answer was no, but she didn't trust herself to speak. Duck pulls herself up, trembling like a leaf while the news folder dissppears into her sylladex as well. She manages to throw the sheet back over the desk before she shuffles back over to the balcony. LL: Nyarla purses his lips. "You've been crying. Well, you are crying." He nervously offers to hug her. AC: There's little hesitation before she's rushing into his arms, openly sobbing as she clings to him. AC: "H-he lied, K-kyle.. he, he wasn't their friend at ALL." LL: Nyarla sighs. "I'm sorry. I..." He squeezes Duck tightly. "I did my best. We just couldn't find you anywhere. I was so afraid he'd killed you, to carry out his threat. It wasn't until we got Drew in that we found out the truth... I couldn't..." He swallows. "I'm sorry. There is no excuse for my failure." AC: Duck shakes her head, tkaing a moment to settle her breathing as best she can and letting herself lean into him. "I-it's not, it's, it's his. For lying and, and KILLING. I don't. I don't want anymore of that." AC: She looks up at him, eyes shimmering, "Can you make it stop?" LL: "I'm doing my best, Princess. But I have little power on my own." AC: "So if, if you had me you make it stop..?" LL: "I will not make you promises, Tutu. I already failed you once. All I can say is that I will do my damnedest, and it will certainly make it easier." AC: "Qu-queen Lila, had planned everything s-she and the Empress trusted you," she takes a deep breath, "So I will too. I don't ne-need to see any other, um, suitors," LL: Nyarla freezes. "I... are you sure?" He swallows nervously. "Tutu, I want you to be safe, and happy, if at all possible." LL: "C-Can I kiss you?" He blushes. AC: She stiffens briefly, suddenly hyper aware of the situation they're in and she's blushing furiously. Her head goes back to being buried in his shirt, and she's clinging a little tighter. Her voice squeaks when she speaks, "M-maybe, um, aah later I've. I've ne-never," LL: "Right, of course, I'm sorry, I'm an idiot." He looks away, but gently strokes her hair, letting her cling to him. AC: Her head shakes a little again, she's relaxing back into him. "It's okay, um, just a little time, that's all." She glances up shyly, smiling, "Um, you can call me D.D. That's, that's my nickname..." LL: "D.D.," he says, softly, stroking her hair. "Lovely." AC: The tips of her ears burn red, "T-thanks," LL: He stays in silence with her, just trying to be comforting. AC: She calms down fairly quickly, pulling away as she wipes at her eyes with her sleeves, "U-um, I should. Go talk with Mute... Thank you, Regent. For. For showing me this." AC: Duck smiles brightly at him. LL: "Wait. Before you go talk to him..." He scratches the back of his head. "You should get some rest. It has been an emotional night." He leans down, and kisses her cheek tenderly. LL: You suddenly wonder what it would be like to kiss him. AC: "O-oh," she's blushing slightly pink again. "U-um, I. I don't want him to worry, um.. W-we were gonna talk after d-dinner," She trails off, blushing a little darker again as she fidgets with her sweater sleeve shyly. LL: Nyarla chuckles. "Why so bashful, D.D.?" He brushes your cheek gently with his knuckles. "Please don't feel like you need to be embarassed around me." AC: "Uumm!" her voice raises in pitch just slghtly, I've never, uuh been. In. A uh, relationship like this I don't.." She looks away. Duck is very much out of her element. LL: "Well, the idea is to see if we're compatible. Normally, we'd begin planning the wedding, and take our time... but sadly, we don't have a lot of time." He sighs. "I want you to be sure of your choice, before you talk to Mute. While I would... *very much* like to marry you, I want you to be happy. And if Mute can make you happy, then go with him, with my blessing." He looks away, up at the moons. " LL: I'd rather watch both these worlds burn, than fail you again." AC: "I don't think, um, I'm going to be changing my mind," her voice is a little firmer though she seems flattered at what he says, "Mute's been forced into this. He's still my friend, and I don't want to leave him in the dark." AC: She reaches forward, to grab his hand. "I don't want either of these worlds to burn. There CAN be a brighter future, I know it." LL: "And what if we have no chemistry, D.D.? Don't you want to know before you close that door forever?" AC: Duck looks at him quietly considering the question, "Then we'll still do what's necessary for both our people to find peace. My mother had faith in you, the late Empress had faith in you. So I will too. Even if there's no ch-chemistry.. we can still be good friends. I believe that." LL: He smiles, sadly. "Close your eyes." AC: Briefly she looks at him curiously, before she does as she's told. LL: You feel his fingers curl in your hair gently, while his lips brush against your cheek. "Do you really want to go spend time with Mute right now?" Your breath goes short, and you desperately want to know how far this rabbit hole goes. AC: "I-I, u-um," she gasps, no-not, not really this was nice but um. Oh, oh they aren't- There's suddenly a lead feeling in her stomach and she's leaning away from him just slightly. "Please, I-" her tone is an entirely different kind of desperate now. LL: He lets go, his brow furrowed. "I'm sorry. I..." He stands, his face dark, and he looks like he's about to cry. "Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I should have left my dreams in the past where I buried them." He heads for the door. AC: She's pulling her sleeves over her hands, even as she follows him her stomach still twisting into knots. "N-no, that's not just. I. Not, that. Not before, the surgery." Or maybe ever. But the thoughts won't leave her head. LL: He stops, and looks down at her, his smile sad. "Why would you wait for that? Will surgery change your mind? Your heart? Do you think afterward that I'll be kissing a different pair of lips or getting lost in a different pair of eyes? You are beautiful, and you are perfect right now. If you want to be different, then make it so, I will support you every step of the way. But I will feel the same ab LL: out you regardless." AC: Duck stops in front of him, her expression pained. "It's not that, none of it is that I don't. I don't like, physical.. intimacy, I d-don't, i-intercourse" Her shoulders shake slightly, "It makes me feel gross.. Everything else, everything else though," she's reaching for her his hand again, her eyes pleading. LL: He laughs. "I'm so bad at this. That tyrian forcing me to do things for sweeps has really messed with me." He rubs his face. "I am powerless when it comes to you, D.D. Do as you please. And my wasted heart will love you regardless." You realize he's crying. AC: She reaches up, standing up on her tip toes to brush her fingers against his cheek if she can reach that high. "It's okay, I. We'll be together, and she won't force you to do anything anymore." LL: He chuckles darkly. "No, she'll force me to do things. Us being together only protects you. I don't want you to end up like me." LL: He buries his face in his hands. "I just wanted to choose it for myself, just once. I'm sorry." AC: "R-Regent, you did, I" she reaches for one of his hands pulling it down, smiling up at him, "I'm not leaving am I? I'm right here." LL: "For now. And in a few minutes you're going to go talk to Mute. And Mute is going to tell you he will marry you. And you will change your mind about me. And I will smile and arrange your wedding to someone else. Things will go back to how they always have been." AC: "No, nono I wown't," her face falls and she clings to his hand tightly, "Don't, don't you believe me? Trust me?" LL: "Six hours ago, you hated me." His voice is quiet. "I just know better than to get my hopes up anymore." AC: "I didn't, I didn't I was scared," her voice trembles, "But I never hated you, I never. Hated any of you, even though I heard that speech every morning." She holds her forehead, before bringing his hand up to her cheek. "There's never anything wrong with having hopes.. or dreams." LL: His thumb brushes against her cheek. "Fuck, you're beautiful." He blushes. AC: Duck blushes crimson again, "I. Uum ah, t-thank you, I," She doesn't seem to know how to repay the comment. LL: He kisses her forehead. "You should go see Mute, my love, or I have a feeling we'll still be here come morning, my clumsy tongue showering you with compliments." AC: "Uum, okay I can, do that," she tilts her head up he is. A little too tall. She reaches for him, gently tugging him back down. LL: He leans down toward her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. AC: She smiles shyly, before hesitantly kissing him lightly her heart pounding and nervous. LL: As soon as her lips touch his, he wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her gently to make kissing easier. It seems he is very good at this. She can taste his tears. AC: A little squeak of surprise leaves her and she's quickly wrapping her arms around his neck, finding her balance before she takes one hand and and wipes his tears away. LL: He deepens the kiss for a moment, then pulls away gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push- I..." AC: She looks a little dazed, and her brows are furrowed a bit like she's unsure how she felt about that. "That's, um. That's okay I think... I liked it um," Ah the lead was back, okay time to stop. Shivering a bit in his arms, she kicks her legs lightly in the air, "But um, another time? We can try that.. again?" LL: He chuckles and sets her down. "Sorry, D.D. It appears I got more carried away than I expected." He kisses her again, tenderly, but only for a moment. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small key. "Here. This key will let you into my wing of the palace. If you ever need to talk, or hide somewhere, it is always open to you." AC: Taking the key, she nods, smiling brightly at him pink dusting still on her cheeks. "Okay, I'll make sure um, not to lose it uh. Did you have a map of the, ah, palace? I don't know, my way around that well.." LL: Nyarla grins and kisses her cheek. "Looks like you have an excuse to come see me again then, hmm?" He laughs. "Actually..." He reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a cerulean blue scarf. He ties it gently around Duck's neck like a fashionable accessory. "It is tradition on Alternia to wear your matesprit's color. It looks like I'll need to find something peach." AC: "O-okay, oh," she touches the scarf gently smiling at it, "Uum, only if you. Want ah. The hairpin matches the colors.. I'll see you soon, probably, then um. For the map. Yes." LL: He smiles, and lifts her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. "Go, before my self-control crumbles and I start kissing you again." AC: She nods again, looking rather dazed and overjoyed as she dissappears back the way she came, all grace and perfect form. Category:Duck Category:Autocrat